The Australian Urban Design Awards (AUDA) were announced on 30 November at an online ceremony, with five projects from across the country recognized.
The awards recipients were dominated by projects in Australia’s south-east states, with prizes awarded to two Victorian and two New South Wales projects, and to one project in the Australian Capital Territory.
The four awards categories celebrated in the program included: built projects of city and regional scale; built projects for local and neighbourhood scale; leadership, advocacy and research for city and regional scale; and leadership, advocacy and research for local and neighbourhood scale.
The Built Projects – City and Regional Scale award went to LXRA for the Level Crossing Removal Project, which commenced in 2015. The project has removed 66 level crossings in suburban Melbourne, rebuilt 34 train stations in “localized acts of urban repair” with a “metropolitan-wide impact”, the jury said.
“The Level Crossing Removal Project has been able to deliver a level of investment and design quality not seen in these suburbs since they were first laid out.”
Bendigo Kangan Institute of TAFE by SBLA, Six Degrees Architects and Architectus.
Image:
Trevor Mein
The Built Projects – Local and Neighbourhood Scale prize was awarded to SBLA, Six Degrees Architects and Architectus for the Bendigo Kangan TAFE Redevelopment. Built on Dja Dja Wurrung Country, this redevelopment created two new buildings and refurbished three, creating a new outdoor space and a revitalised campus.
“New buildings, using simple and robust materials respond to their heritage context and frame ground floor activity to create an exceptionally welcoming, inclusive and conducive learning environment for students, visitors and staff,” the jury said.
The award for Leadership, Advocacy and Research – City and Regional Scale was jointly given to two winners. The first went to a consortium comprising the ACT government, Hodyl and Co, Andy Fergus, Adam’s Urban, Oculus and Creative Environment Enterprises for their project “Delivering Best Practice Urban Design Through Planning”.
“The design team have successfully delivered an exemplary research project; one that sets a new benchmark in design and delivery guidance; and reinstates Canberra as a leading voice in urban design policy,” the jury said.
The second winner in this category was Green Track for Parramatta Light Rail by Transport for NSW with Urban Planning and Management, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University. This project studied the application of grass and vegetation along and between light rail tracks in Western Sydney.
The final award for Leadership, Advocacy and Research – Local and Neighbourhood Scale went to Campsie Town Centre Masterplan, delivered by the City of Canterbury Bankstown Council in NSW. The judges commended this project for its use of well-defined principles that include local character and provide a finer grain of mixed-se development than is typically seen in neighbourhood planning approaches.
First launched in 1996, the AUDA program has highlighted the critical role of good design in shaping Australia’s urban environment for more than 25 years. For more information visit the AUDA website.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
